Excitement builds for BC Place re-opening
May 17th, 2011
May 17, 2011
VANCOUVER – Media from across the Lower Mainland got a sneak peak of the revitalization project currently underway at BC Place, during a tour led by Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation.
The BC Place stadium revitalization project, including construction of the largest retractable roof of its kind, is creating approximately 3,500 person years of employment. More than 450 people work on-site each week during the roof construction phase.
Reporters were given an inside look at a number of construction milestones that have recently been achieved including the completion of the cable-net that will support the retractable roof and the removal of scaffolding that was supporting the centre node. All common spaces at BC Place have been upgraded, as well as concessions, washrooms, and dressing rooms. New blue-green glazing will make BC Place brighter and more energy efficient and seismic upgrades to the existing concrete structure are currently underway. The exterior plazas around BC Place will also be upgraded, including a new Terry Fox memorial designed by artist Douglas Coupland.
Over the next few months improved lighting and sound systems will be installed, a new four-sided electronic video-board will be suspended from the centre of the roof’s support structure and new, modern stadium seating will be installed. A permanent, all-weather playing turf and a custom floor cover for concerts and exhibitions will also be added.
When BC Place re-opens in September 2011, it will be home to the CFL’s BC Lions Football Club and the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC. As well as professional sports, BC Place will continue to host the Province’s largest consumer shows, concerts, community gatherings and special events with a year-round calendar.
The new BC Place is expected to host even more than the 200 event days it averaged annually before the revitalization. These additional events will boost the annual economic impact of the facility from approximately $60 million to an estimated $100 million, supporting thousands of jobs.
Quick Facts:
- The revitalization of BC Place is on schedule and on budget. In total, $563 million is being invested to extend the life of this iconic structure for at least 40 more years. If a new, similar stadium was to be built from the ground-up, it would cost more than $1-billion.
- The new cable-supported retractable roof will be the largest of its kind in the world. It will take only 20 minutes to open or close the new roof – the same amount of time as it takes at Toronto’s Rogers Centre (aka SkyDome) – and spectators will always be protected from rain as the seats are under the permanent, fixed roof section.
- The new roof will result in savings of up to 25 per cent, or about $350,000 per year, in energy costs for the stadium – plus another $100,000 annually in maintenance costs associated with the old air-supported roof.
- Employment generated during construction (Phase 1 renovations): 324 person years of direct employment and an estimated 162 person years of offsite employment.
- Employment generated during construction (Phase 2 roof project): 3,000 person years.
- First BC Lions home game vs. Edmonton Eskimos—Friday, Sept. 30
- First Vancouver Whitecaps FC home match vs. Portland Timbers—Sunday Oct. 2
- BC Place hosts the Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s (CIS) Vanier Cup—Friday, Nov. 25
- BC Place hosts 99th CFL Grey Cup—Sunday, Nov. 27
Learn More at:
www.bcplacestadium.com/index.php/construction.html
Media Contacts:
Carolyn Heiman
Communications Manager
250 387-2799